


The Last Relic

by A_Shade_of_Her



Category: Halo, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Crossover, Drama, Gen, Platonic Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-22
Updated: 2014-03-16
Packaged: 2018-01-02 09:05:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1054964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Shade_of_Her/pseuds/A_Shade_of_Her
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Earth is no stranger to visits by non-humans . . . But now they meet the One who saved them from a damnation worse than death . . . NOTE: This was begun *before* Halo 4 was released, and as I no longer have access to an Xbox 360, this is in no way meant to be supplemental to and/or part of the Halo canon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Arrival

“Thor's back! Look!”

Jane looked up and the smile disappeared.

“No.”

“No? But that's--”

“That's not him. That's not the Einstein-Rosenberg Bridge.”

“Well . . . then . . . what is it?”

Jane inched closer to the monitor, then glanced at the window.

“I don't know. I think we should call Agent Co--”

Darcy gripped her iPod, her knuckles white.

“He's not gonna take my iPod again, are they?”

“Shut up about your iPod, Darcy.”

“No, we're not going to take it, Ms. Lewis.”

They turned around to face him.

“What are you doing here?”

“We both want the same thing, Ms. Foster,” Coulson said. “We want to find what comes down this time.” He turned slightly to call behind him. “Dr. Banner, could we get your professional opinion, please?”

Banner stepped into the room slowly, lugging two suitcases behind him. His eyes locked onto the pillar of lightning.

“Is that Thor?”

“No!”

The latecomers stared at Jane.

“No, it's . . . it's not him.” She glanced at Banner. “I . . . We met Thor when he came the first time.”

“Yeah, and she hit him with her car twice.”

“Shut up, Darcy.”

“How is this one different?”

Jane turned to her monitors.

“This one's . . . cold. It shouldn't be, but there's no heat registering, and it . . . it looks like it's actually _sucking_ heat from the air around it.” She pointed to a weather readout. “The air within a three mile radius has dropped in temperature since this began . . .”

“How long ago was that?” he asked, unpacking his equipment.

“. . . Ninety seconds ago . . .”

Banner stopped.

“That's impossible.”

“Obviously not; it just happened.”

Darcy screamed and dropped her iPod. It didn’t hit the floor.

Jane and Banner’s computer screens flickered and shut off, the mice and lighter electronic objects levitating slightly.

Coulson’s phone rose out of his pocket. He grabbed it without looking and flipped it open. It didn’t even turn on.

Every light bulb flashed violet before the filament failed and darkness consumed the room.

Jane ran to the balcony, hit the railing and stared, her eyes unblinking.

“Every light in town’s out!”

Lightning shot upwards out of the caves to the east, followed by a guttural scream that lingered, blown westward by scorching wind. The cry died out, but the lightning grew brighter, the diameter expanded and the air changed direction as the pillar of light began to suck in branches and boulders.

Coulson stepped forward.

“Dr. Banner, pack it up. We’re going west.”


	2. The Gathering

Text from:

CAPTAIN KANGAROO!

Open ::  >> AVENGERS ASSEMBLE

Pepper moaned.

“Tony?”

His side of the bed was empty. She rolled out of bed.

“Tony . . . ?”

Running footsteps came towards the bedroom. Tony poked his head in the doorway, grinning like the Cheshire.

“Honey, you gotta see this!”

He darted back off to the balcony before Pepper could even hold out his cell phone. She followed him out into the hallway where she was nearly blinded with blue light.

“Tony, what is that?!”

He laughed.

“I dunno, but isn’t it pretty?” He took her empty hand and led her to the railing. “I thought we might have a moment . . .”

Pepper turned away from the light and faced him.

“Tony. It’s three in the morning. I’m having negative three hundred percent of a moment right now.” She handed him his phone. “That woke me up. I think they need Iron Man. Have fun, boss.”

* * *

Nick Fury turned around as Clint and Natasha walked into the command room in uniform. They stared at the glass wall ahead of them through which the tower of light illuminated the entire west wing of S.H.E.I.L.D. HQ. Agent Hill handed them each a pair of sunglasses and they took them wordlessly.

“Director Fury?” Clint said. “What are we supposed to do about that?”

Fury sighed.

“Six hours ago, three teenagers reported seeing somebody fall out of the sky, out of a wormhole. They said that the person crashed straight through that cave,” he said, pointing to the spire of lightning. “The ranger didn’t believe them because they all had alcohol on their breath, but . . .” He shrugged. “It’s the only credible explanation right now.”

“Is it Thor again?” Natasha asked.

“No. We’ve made contact with Thor Odinson and Loki Laufeyson, and they’re both present and accounted for. They’re actually en route to the mountains as we speak to rendezvous Captain America, Iron Man, Dr. Banner and Agent Coulson.”

“What are we supposed to do?”

Fury tilted his head.

“Agent Barton and Agent Romanoff, your orders are to rendezvous with the rest of the Avengers and find out if there _is_ any truth to the report. In any event, stop that lighting: every airport within 250 miles is experiencing technical malfunctions because of it.”

“And . . . if there _is_ truth to the report, sir?” Natasha asked slowly.

“Then bring them here for questioning, debriefing, and tagging.”

He turned back to the light.

“You’re dismissed.”

They turned and headed for the garages.

“What do you make of that, Nat?”

She shrugged.

“Wouldn’t be the first time we’ve been sent out on a wild goose chase.”

Clint nodded.

“But?”

“But if it were a wild goose chase . . . why is he sending in the Avengers?”


	3. Her

“ . . . _Boooooooooooooooooooooorn to be wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiild . . ._!”

Tony landed to Clint’s right, putting an arm around Natasha.

“Hey there, honey.”

He raised his facemask, surveying the tower of crackling blue light.

“So . . .  this is a dumb question, but does anyone have any idea what this is?”

The three turned to see Cap walking up behind them, his hood back. Tony shook his head.

“Nope. For once, we’re as clueless as you.”

“Avengers.”

Fury approached them, Banner and Coulson following close behind, their coats blown about as the helicopter lifted off. He nodded to the cave.

“It seems we’ve found it.”

“Yeah, but what’s _‘it’_?” Tony asked. “I’m not going in there until we figure that out.”

They looked at Banner, who shrugged.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s everything I’ve seen put together, making it . . . new.” He looked at Tony. “Besides, I don’t think you _could_ go in there, even if you wanted to. That thing was sucking the power from that helicopter; it’d suck the life right out of you.”

“Well, that would explain the glitches, then. So how do we shut it off?”

“I don’t think it _can_ be shut off. I can’t make out where the power source is.”

Cap looked up and pointed.

“There’s another one.”

A second tower of multicolored light hit the ground and two figures stepped out.

Coulson shook his head.

“No, that’s actually a Bifrost.”

Thor approached them, Loki following a few paces back. He nodded.

“Midgardians.” He turned towards the tower of light as Loki joined them silently. “How long has this been here?”

“By our count, four hours. Dr. Foster was the one who reported it.”

“Jane . . . ?”

Loki stared at the cave, paler than usual.

“Amma . . .”

Thor put a hand on his brother’s shoulder, sharing his look of sadness.

Cap stepped forward.

“. . . Who?”

“Nobody,” Loki murmured.

Tony snorted.

“Bull--”

A surge of power coursed down the shaft, knocking them all backwards. Loki jumped to his feet and ran towards the cave entrance. Thor blocked his path, holding him back.

“ _Amma!_ ”

“Who is he talking about?” Natasha asked.

Thor looked down.

“Our governess.” He met her gaze mournfully. “She taught us almost everything we know.” Loki clawed at Thor’s back, never taking his eyes off the cave, but Thor gripped him tighter. “Loki loved her . . . She taught him how to use his shape-shifting abilities. She was his closest friend.” He looked away. “The friend I ought to have been. . .”

Fury stepped forward, cocking his head.

“This thing’s a _shape-shifter_?”

Loki was suddenly directly in front of Fury.

“That _thing_ is my dearest friend, _ant._ ” He stepped closer, a breath away from Fury and a good bit taller. “I’m getting her out of there if I have to do it myself--”

“Loki.” Thor’s voice was quiet. “We _can’t_.”

His face fell.

“Then who will get her . . . ?”

“I will.”

Everyone turned to look at Banner.

“You?” Tony said. “Dude, you’re not going in there alone.”

“I have to. I’m the only one that can take the radiation.”

There was silence.

“Okay, fine.”

Banner started towards the cave, stopped, and turned around.

“Um . . . how will I find her?”

“You can’t miss her.” They all turned to Loki, who was staring off into nothing. “She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. . .”

-

Banner ran into the cave, the hair all over his body standing on end and tingling. His shirt was lifted up by the static in the air. His glasses grew warm in his chest pocket, and he heard the soft _chinks_ as the polycarbonate began to crack. There was a rushing sound pressing against his eardrums, but no wind causing it. He followed the dim light, which had begun to glow blue.

What he saw stopped him dead.


	4. Rescue

A woman easily taller than Thor lay on her back on a large, flat stone, an ornate yet slight sword buried in her abdomen, just below her breasts. Great battered, feathered wings stretched in both directions underneath her, nearly touching the ground. Her eyes were wide open, her mouth gaping in a silent cry of agony. Her skin was paler than ice, save for shimmers of gold in peculiar patterns on her face and neck. Her white hair was tangled and matted with dust and blood. The beam of energy began to narrow until they pulsed directly into the hilt of the sword. The hair on her face and exposed wrists stood up. In vain, she clawed for the blade, but was too weak to pull it out.

Banner stepped forward, cautiously eyeing the energy beam.

“Miss Amma?”

She whipped her face in his direction and he yelled. Her irises and pupils were drained of any color save a dull grey shimmer. Her chapped lips parted slightly as blood began to pool on the stone under her cheek.

Bruce could feel the subtle change in his blood chemistry as ‘the Other Guy’ began to emerge. He stepped closer and held her wrist, feeling for her pulse. Her hand was heavy, and he realized that _she’d_ be much heavier than he had anticipated.

 _For once,_ he’s _making himself useful._

Her pulse was well-timed, but sluggish and labored.

“Miss Amma?”

Her gaze slid to him.

“Please don’t be afraid of me. . .”

His muscles spasmed as they grew rapidly beneath his flesh.

The Other Guy was here.

-

Loki paced anxiously, watched carefully by Thor and Coulson.

“He should have found her by now!”

“You don’t think the radiation was too much for him, do you?” Natasha whispered to Clint.

“Nah.”

Tony and Cap exchanged a look and the former lowered his visor.

“All I know is that if he’s not out in five minutes, we’re going-”

A scream echoed out of the cave, falling through several frequencies.

Tony raised his visor, though that did little good.

Clint, Natasha, and Coulson yanked out their earpieces.

Thor and Loki looked to Cap, who couldn’t hold back a smirk.

“There was always a reason I didn’t get one of those blueteeth.”

“A what?” Loki asked.

“It’s blue _tooth_ ,” Tony muttered, his ears ringing.

“But there’s more than one, so isn’t it teeth?”

The humans looked at him.

“ ** _No_**.”

-

Hulk felt the blade give as he gripped the hilt.

The woman looked up at him and nodded slightly.

“ _Tracto._ ” Pull _._

In one swift motion, Hulk loosed the blade, and she screamed as it exited her. The energy pulses shifted course, attracted to the blade.

He gently picked her up, shouldering the still unexpected weight, her wings soft against his arm and chest. He plunged the blade back into the stone and kicked it, snapping the blade in half.

The energy pulses disappeared.

-

“What happened?”

Tony lowered his visor.

“Can’t tell; there’s too much interference left.”

Cap looked to Coulson.

“So it’s safe to go in now?”

“I don’t -- _NO_!”

Thor and Loki had already run half the distance to the cave. The others followed suit as Hulk emerged, a huge woman with soft grey wings hanging over his shoulder. Loki’s pace quickened.

“ ** _Amma!_** ”

Hulk put her down gently, looking sorrowfully at the Asgardians as they approached.

“Gone.”

Thor stood numbly as Loki dropped to his knees at her side. The others approached slowly as Loki cradled her head, sobbing softly.

“ _Amma. . ._ ”

Her wrist twitched and she sighed softly, turning her face towards him.

“ _Loki. . ._ ” Her fingertips met his cheek, softly wiping his tears away.

“Amma. . . ?”

She smiled softly, the dried blood at the corner of her mouth flaking off.

“ _Lugete non perierat non est._ ” Do not mourn for what is not lost.

Thor fell beside his brother and embraced her tightly. She gasped sharply and began to cough up blood. Hulk looked confused.

“Back?”

Thor lifted her gently.

“She needs a physician,” he said, his voice low. “Where’s the closest one?”

Coulson pointed up as he pulled out his phone.

“The Helicarrier is the best she can get this side of the atmosphere.”

Steve looked up, mouthing _atmosphere_. Tony shook his head and lifted his visor again.

“On Earth, dude.”

Loki looked at Coulson as he stood, his face still wet.

“Can they save her?”

The agent put a hand on the demigod’s shoulder.

“I give you my word they’ll try.”


	5. Monster?

Thor and Loki sat side by side on the floor, staring into the glass wall of the surgery theater in silence. The others stood behind them. Hulk hadn’t relaxed yet, but was milder than usual.

Cap glanced up at the clock and turned towards Tony.

“How long do you think it will take?”

He shrugged.

“You’d be surprised how much can go wrong in a body.” He tapped his ARC reactor. “This takes hours to do maintenance on alone.”

They jumped as a surgeon tapped on the glass, motioning for Tony.

“Sir,” he said, his voice muffled by the glass, “we need your opinion on this.”

“. . . _My_ opinion?” The surgeon nodded and Loki turned on Tony.

“ _Your_ opinion?”

“Yes, apparently my opinion. It may interest you to know that I’ve got multiple doctorate degrees.”

_But nada in medicine. . ._

The surgeon unlocked the door and let Tony in, then pointed to the woman.

“What do you make of that?”

He moved around her right wing to examine her closer. A long, deep incision had been made in her chest but they had not yet begun the surgery. Her heart was held together by a series of silverish alloy stitches. But more than that, her ribs and sternum were coated – or made of – the same metal. It was then that Tony noticed a bulge that encircled her neck. He pulled out his phone and scanned it: a metal collar that protected her neck and ran down the length of her spine. He straightened.

“Um, well, I’d make of that that she’s made of metal.”

“So what do we do? We can’t cut through that.”

Another surgeon dropped a scalpel.

“Oh my God. . .”

The wounds in the woman’s chest began to pixelize and weave together. Her heartbeat steadied and her brainwaves spiked.

“And my professional advice is that you stitch her up _now_.”

“Can’t she just . . . y’know . . . do it herself?” the other surgeon asked, backing away. The first surgeon held the skin together and backed away towards the door as it wove together. In a flash she sat up, holding the lining of the table over her chest and repositioning into a crouch on the table.

“Easy . . . easy. . .” Tony backed towards the glass, his hands up. She stared at him, her eyes grey and dull, but attentive. Her hair levitated before lowering, as if she were submerged in water and her wings – retracted before – extended, nearly filling the small operating theater. “Umm . . .” Tony turned and motioned to Thor and Loki, who stared at her in shock.

“Amma. . . ?” Loki whispered, muffled by the glass.

She stared at him, and green pigment slowly spread from her pupils, flooding her irises. She was suddenly by the glass, threads of light disappearing around her.

“Loki. . .”

            He spoke in a strange tongue that even Thor didn’t seem to recognize. She answered, her voice deep and urgent. Tony glanced at Loki.

            “What’d she say?”

            “I don’t know . . . She’s not speaking what she taught me.”

“What were you speaking, brother?”

“The language of the Jötunn. But she never taught me her native tongue.”

            “What is her native tongue?”

            “She called it . . . Lotan?”

            “Latin.”

Natasha stepped forward and put her hand on the glass.

“Unde estis, et quomodo huc venisti?” _Who are you, and how did you come here?_

The woman stared at her in silence as the green was snapped back into her pupils. She slid to her knees, the sheet dropping away as she clawed at the glass.

“ ** _Didact. . . !_** ”

The glass shattered from the force of her scream and alarms began to sound. Loki dove for the sheet and laid it over her as Thor scooped her up. Coulson ran into the waiting room, Director Fury not far behind.

“What the he---!?”

Coulson turned, trying to placate his superior officer.

“Sir, I can explain--”

“You’d better explain why every piece of reinforced glass on this level just shattered, Agent!”

“It is our tutor, Director of Fury,” Thor said, holding the woman protectively.

“No, it’s just – never mind. What is she?”

“She called herself . . . a Forerunner,” Loki said hesitantly.

“Forerunner? Forerunner to what?”

“Us?” Clint volunteered.

“Well . . . what’s wrong with her? How’d she shatter the glass?”

“We didn’t know she could do that,” Loki murmured.

“What _do_ you know she can do?” Fury asked, out of patience.

Thor and Loki stared at each other, at a loss.

“Get her to the Cell and lock it down. I want a tactical squad in there now.”

“But sir . . . she’s--”

“I don’t care. Lock her down. I’ll notify the Council.”


	6. Out of Her Library

Fury scowled as he strode out of the Council Chamber. Agent Hill followed behind him silently, holding her breath. They rounded the corner to the Cell and stopped to assess the precautions Agent Coulson had taken.

Two squads of elite tactical squads had surrounded the Cell and were poised to shoot. Inside the Cell, the woman had awoken and sat up, staring ahead, her eyes the same flat grey as before.

Coulson entered and quietly took his place beside Hill.

“When did she wake up?” Fury asked.

“Just after she was put in there. We’ve scanned her vitals from here. You’d never know she’d just been ripped open.”

“What’s she doing?”

“We can’t tell, though IT’s been telling me that files are being accessed as we speak.”

“From where?”

“From here, sir.”

“By _her_?”

“It must be, though we don’t know how to stop her because we don’t know how she’s doing it.”

“Is she looking for something?”

“They think she is, but they can’t tell what. She hasn’t looked at every file, and some she seems to have no interest in.” He paused. “Mr. Stark has suggested that we employ his AI in this scenario.”

“Absolutely not. Mr. Stark was meant to be only a consultant; we are not going to--”

“Too late.”

Tony knocked on the glass wall behind them and waved.

“I’ve already asked JARVIS to crack her.”

“You mean beat her to whatever she’s after,” Fury said evenly.

“No, I mean to crack her. There’s no way to tell what she’s after, so we’ll just stop her where she’s at.” He slid out his phone and studied the readout. “Surprised your IT guys didn’t think of that.”

“Shut up while you’re ahead, Stark.” Fury turned back to the Cell.

“Has she moved?”

“Other than sitting up, no sir.”

“Let’s make use of the downtime to interrogate the Asgardians. Agent Hill, stay here and watch her.”

-

“Furious one, you do not understand!” Thor shouted, slamming his fist on the table between them. “She never spoke about herself, she never answered questions about herself, she never spoke about where she was from! We do not know anything about her!”

“But she taught you throughout your entire childhood, didn’t she?”

“Taught us academically, yes. And that was all.”

“Then how did Loki know that she spoke another language?”

“They had a bond.”

“What kind of bond?”

Thor glared at him.

“The kind of bond a son would have with a parent.”

“Is she--?”

“No, she is not!” he thundered. “I cannot give you any information about her. But I can promise you she is not a threat to you, nor your world.”

The lights dimmed and Hill’s voice was muffled as shots rang out. Thor ran out the door towards the Cell, Fury closing the distance. Hill and Coulson had their weapons drawn and didn’t seem to notice Fury and Thor enter. The woman stood outside of the Cell, though the door was still sealed. The tactical squads had fired, but the bullets were on the floor, creating an arc in front of the woman.

“Amma!”

Loki burst through the door behind Thor and Fury and ran to her. She turned towards him and smiled, the green slowly pooling back into her irises. They embraced, and she stroked his hair gently, murmuring to him quietly.

“It is as I told you,” Thor said softly. “Their bond is a strong one.”

Fury nodded and motioned to Coulson and Hill to lower their weapons. The tactical squads followed suit cautiously. The rest of the Avengers crowded at the doorway, peering in. Fury looked at Natasha and motioned to the woman expectantly.

Loki pulled away as Natasha approached and faced the woman. She took a deep breath that betrayed her frayed nerves.

“Unde estis, et quomodo huc venisti?” _Who are you, and how did you come here?_

The woman smiled.

“Latin is clearly not your first language. There’s no need to use it.”

She blinked and stepped back in surprise.

“Then . . . who are you?”

The smile faded.

“I don’t know.”

“Look,” Fury said, stepping forward, “I don’t know who you are or what game you’re playing, but I don’t have time for your--”

“How many years could you not hear your name before you forget what it is?”

“What?”

“I have not heard my name in over a millennia,” she said, taking a step towards the Director, the color of her irises growing more intense. “My name was forgotten by all long ago.” She stopped, her eyes unfocusing and her voice distant. “And perhaps it’s not a name I wish to remember.”

For a moment, Fury looked as if he had lost his nerve.

“Right . . . well . . . Where are you from?”

She stiffened and shook her head.

“No.”

“You had better tell me.”

“Or what? You’ll order them to shoot?” She turned and pointed to the bullets on the ground. “That was very effective.” She bent and picked one up, studying it closely. “Would you believe I’ve never seen Class II weaponry before?” she murmured. “Not that it matters . . . It was entirely unsuitable to the task.”

“What task?” Steve asked from the doorway quietly.

“Shut up, Captain!” Fury shouted. Coulson stared at Fury in horror as Steve came forward meekly.

“No, sir.” He looked up at the woman, who had dropped the bullet and turned to face him. “She’s like me, sir. She’s out of her time.”

The woman stared at him as Loki appeared behind her and put his hand on her shoulder.

“Amma . . . I think you should--”

Fury’s hand suddenly snapped forward and he pressed a small, glowing sphere to the back of her neck. She gasped, gritted her teeth, and spasmed uncontrollably as she fell to the floor, panting heavily. Loki dove for her, but three members of the tactical squad restrained him. The Avengers ran forward as Tony pounded on the glass.

“You idiot! What did you do that for?!”

“You said she was rooting through our system! And she wasn’t exactly ‘forthcoming’ with _any_ information!”

“Yeah, but I didn’t say to zap her!”

“Get out here; I can barely hear you!”

Tony rolled his eyes and ran around to the door, shoving a few squad members out of his way.

“What is wrong with you?” he shouted, nose to nose with Fury. “Did you even see her when we brought her in here?”

“N--”

“Her chest was sliced open, and she was nearly dead by any species’ standards! And did you listen to anything Cap said?”

“Wh--”

“He said she was like him: _someone out of their time._ And she’s like me, too.” He looked down at her. “She’s known fear and death,” he continued softly. “And she still knows it. She may have forgotten her name, but there are some things you can’t forget.” He looked up at Loki. “Tell us what you know about her.”

-

Loki sat slowly on the folding metal chair, his hands folded tightly.

“It is not my place to divulge secrets that are not mine,” he murmured to Thor.

“If this knowledge will stop her continued abuse, you must share it,” his brother responded, glaring at Fury.

Loki took a deep breath as Thor left and stared ahead at the one-way window.

“She is a Forerunner. They called her the Librarian. She never told me her name; I believe she has truly forgotten it.” He closed his eyes. “She had a husband.” He opened them as a tear fell. “He is dead now.” Loki stood, shifting his weight nervously. “She was a guardian of life, of her entire civilization. She . . . she told me she had failed.” His face grew pale. “She used to have night terrors – she’d scream as one possessed in the night . . . When she thought we were asleep she would sit on our balcony and weep.” He looked back up. “She has experienced Hel, Director Fury. Do not break what is already broken.”

The lights went out. When the interrogation chambers filled with light again, the Librarian stood before Loki, facing the window, her eyes full of tears.

“Loki speaks the truth,” she murmured, stepping forward. “And if it’s of any consequence, I do not hold your actions against you, Director Fury.” The window’s opaqueness faded, revealing the Avengers on the other side. “Yes, I accessed your database. I was merely acquainting myself with Earth.” Her jaw clenched and her pupils constricted. “As well as searching for Contamination.”

Fury stepped forward.

“What contamination?”


	7. Access Memories -- Read Only

VII

The Librarian tightened her jaw.

“If you’ve not heard of it, Contamination is a non-issue.”

“I don’t think so,” Fury said. “ _I’ll_ be deciding what is and is not an issue.”

The Librarian straightened, narrowing her eyes. As she stepped closer, Fury flinched and stared up at her. A low hum turned into a growling snarl as she spoke.

“ _Director_ Fury: I outrank you in _every possible_ sense of the word. You may ask whatever you like, but there will be queries that I choose not to answer.” Her gaze grew distant and mournful. “I do this for the welfare of your planet. I have seen the horrors of unlimited knowledge. . .” She held her right arm and rubbed it nervously, as if she were cold. “There is no wisdom in that.”

“Very well.” Fury gestured for Loki to stand. “Please, _Librarian_. Sit.” Wisps of light engulfed her and she instantaneously moved to the chair. “What’s your name?”

“I don’t remember. L will do.”

“What are you?”

She stared at him, amused.

“. . . I am a librarian. An archivist.”

“What _species_ would require such a devotion to books?”

Her brow furrowed.

“What’s a book?” Loki murmured something to her. “Oh. No, not an archivist of books. Specimens of other species.” She sighed. “And they call us Forerunner now.”

“Okay, now we’re getting somewhere.” Fury leaned forward. “Why did you catalogue other species?”

“Because we needed . . . a ‘back-up’.”

“Why?”

“Flood.”

Fury straightened.

“I assume you don’t mean water.”

“Correct.”

“And the flood is. . . ?”

L hesitated.

“The Contamination.”

“Explain that.”

“No.”

Loki drew in a sharp breath and put a hand on her shoulder as Fury stepped closer.

“Explain that, _please_.”

“No, _thank you_.”

Fury swore and bent, bringing his face hairs away from hers.

“What is Didact?”

The lights flickered and L began to sob. She suddenly stood and the lights brightened harshly.

“How _dare_ you. . .” A chorus of voices fell from her lips as streams of black wove over her skin, twisting into intricate patterns before settling in place; her eyes became engorged with jade light, dull, grey photons fell from her right arm, revealing a metallic limb alive with electrical pulses. Her wings unfurled and spanned the width of the room. “How dare you use the Didact as _fodder_ for your schemes!”

“Amma--”

“ _You will unleash Them and you will perish!_ ” the multitude cried as she stepped towards Fury.

“Back up!” he shouted, pulling out a pistol. L appeared unfazed by the weapon but fell to her knees.

“You would bring the death of this universe,” she moaned, the voices dying one by one. Loki knelt before her and held her as Thor crashed through the mirror, followed by Tony, Steve, and Bruce as her appearance began to revert back.

“You really don’t know how to talk to women, do you?” Tony snapped.

“Get her off my ship,” Fury muttered.

Bruce snorted.

“And take her _where_ , exactly?”

“My place,” Tony said. Loki turned, still shielding the Librarian. “I promise you,” he said, glaring at the Director, “she’ll be safe there.”

-

L eyed Tony’s Tesla Roadster uneasily.

“Go on, it’s safe.”

“It’s very . . . small.”

“The seats are adjustable.”

“What’s the maximum capacity?”

“Five.”

“Not occupants. Weight.”

“I dunno.”

She shook her head.

“I don’t think--”

“You can’t weight _that_ much.”

“I really can.”

Bruce poked his head around her.

“She really can.”

“What about that one?” Bruce said, pointing to a military-grade Jeep.

“ _Maybe_ alone I could, but--”

“Here,” Tony said, tossing her a set of keys from a rack. She caught them and stared at the Jeep, then back at the keys.

“Is it so valuable that they must secure it?”

“Are you nuts?” Steve asked. “She hasn’t got a license!”

“A license to what?” L asked, looking bemused.

“To drive. Relax, Cap,” Tony said. “It’s just New York City.”

“I am a capable pilot, but . . .” She glanced at the Jeep. “I am unfamiliar with the protocols.”

“It is not a ramming device?” Thor asked, puzzled.

L stepped closer to Tony and held two fingers by his temple.

“May I?”

“Of course.”

She touched his head for a moment and he looked as if he’d been doused with ice water.

“Thank you, Anthony,” she said, striding towards the Jeep.

Steve stared.

“So she’s driving . . . _alone?_ ”

“I’ll go with her,” Clint said from behind. “Nat volunteered to drive the Asgardians.”

“How kind,” Thor said, beaming. Loki stifled a groan.”

“How kind.”

-

“How long have you been waiting?” Tony asked, climbing out of the Roadster without opening the door. Clint grinned.

“About fifteen minutes.”

“But it’s a twenty minute drive,” Steve said.

“She must’ve pulled Tony’s memories from the Circuit de Monaco,” Natasha said as she approached.

“What’s that?”

“Only one of the fastest races in the world,” Tony answered.

“But that’s illegal here.”

“Well, yeah, a bit,” Clint admitted. “But she’s right: she’s pretty capable.”

“Where is she?”

“Pepper took her up. I think she wanted a bath.”

“Has she eaten anything since we found her?” Natasha asked.

“Not that I know of. I suggested a drive-thru, but I don’t think she understood.”

“In what civilization does one ride through a tavern?” Thor asked, incredulous.

“In Jane’s, apparently,” Loki said.

Tony clapped Thor on the shoulder as he walked past.

“Welcome to America.”

-

“So this is the meat of a beef,” L said between bites of a Big Mac.

“A cow,” Clint corrected.

“So it’s a cow burger.”

“You call meat from a cow ‘beef’.”

“Why?”

“The French,” Natasha said.

L nodded.

“And the man McDonald owns the restaurant.”

“Sure,” Tony said.

“The ‘drive-thru’ is incredibly misleading, though,” Loki said, popping a chicken nugget into his mouth. “You don’t even enter the building. You go _around_ it.”

“You sound disappointed,” Steve said.

Loki shrugged.

“I know Thor was.”

“So, uh . . . what’s the story?” Tony asked carefully. Pepper nudged him and shook her head.

“No, it’s . . . it’s okay,” L said. “He has been very kind to me.” She stared down at the Yankees sweatshirt she was wearing. “You all have.”

“Amma,” Thor murmured, “you do not owe us an explanation.”

“I rather do.

“I did not want to come to Earth. The world of the Reclaimers was to remain untraveled by Forerunners because of the Flood.” She glanced up. “I do not trust Director Fury. He has yet to learn that knowledge has a price, and that the application of it cannot always counter the cost. I ask that you keep this from him unless you feel bound by duty to divulge it.” They nodded. “When I was a student, an unmanned ship entered our system’s airspace. There was no emergency beacon activated, and when it was scanned for life, they found nothing. A search party was sent aboard. They did not return. That is when the Flood began to spread.

“The footage sent from the search party was reviewed by our best scientists. I saw the footage – I was studying to be a Lifeworker and my teacher insisted that I be present.” Her left hand shook as she sipped her Coke. “We were horrified and shocked by what we saw. But not enough.” She set the drink down and her gaze hardened. “We were curious – and rightly so – but we wanted to learn more, so we politicized it. We assured our Council that the ship was safe to board, that it should be studied. They listened to us and did not question us.

“The students were forbidden to see the specimens. There were rumors of volunteers brought in, but never let out. When I earned the title of Lifeworker, I was asked to join the Panel. I wanted to sustain life. All I saw . . . All I _wrought_ . . . was death.”

“What was on the ship?” Pepper asked.

L looked at her, her eyes dark.

“A parasite. It seems harmless until a viable host is introduced into the immediate environment. It taps the spinal cord of the host, killing it. That’s where the nightmare begins.

“It takes control of the host’s motor functions and the host mutates over time. Mostly, it rots, but the Flood somehow manages to keep it from completely falling apart. The thoughts, the memories of the host are filtered through – _stolen_ – and fed to the Gravemind. A collection.” She sighed as a tear fell. “A monument to all our sins.”

“But how do you stop it?” Bruce asked.

“You don’t.”

There was silence.

“When a host no longer serves the parasite, it implants its seed. One host can yield as many as forty Infection forms. These feed upon any organism of sufficient biomass and cognitive ability. This in turn engorges the Gravemind, which develops a consciousness of its own.” She shook her head. “We were so very foolish. We thought we could contain it. Control it. Our attempts were laughable at best, treacherous at the worst.” She gestured to her right arm. “I entered the containment unit, meaning to study their reaction to resistance. If it hadn’t been for the Didact, I would have become one of them. Instead, I merely lost a limb.”

“So the Didact is a person,” Steve said.

L nodded.

“My husband.”

“Where is he?”

“Dead.”

“How?”

“We could not contain the Flood, so we had to annihilate it utterly. We built ringworlds that would send out a coordinated pulse of energy, vaporizing any organism that could potentially become a Flood host. But like any system that must be activated, there must be one to activate it.” She looked up at them, crimson tears pooling in her eyes. “I was selected by lot.”

“But you didn’t,” Loki said.

“No.”

“The Didact. . . ?”

She nodded.

“He was my husband. He created and led the army that combated the Flood as we researched ways to destroy it. We planned the Array together.” She sighed, hugging herself tightly. “He volunteered to take my place when it was found that I was with child.”

The whirs of Tony’s electronics seemed deafening in the hush.

“The Panel and I were ushered offworld to escape the blast perimeter, but we delayed too long. Our slipspace jump used corrupted coordinates, and we exited in the asteroid belt of the Gallifreyan system. Our ship was small, and it was battered beyond repair. All died. Except for me. The Doctor found me . . . and it was he who told me that I would continue alone.”

“What became of you then?”

“I wandered. I went mad with grief for a season. A very long season. Then I stumbled upon an old Shieldworld of the Forerunners: Asgard.”

“Asgard?” Thor repeated.

“The Mantle had awarded it to Odin as thanks for his service in previous wars. We gave him a Shieldworld and allowed him to do as he liked with it.” She gave a small smile. “I was not disappointed.”

She sighed and looked up, gesturing to Thor and Loki.

“The rest I trust you know.”

“Yeah,” Clint said, his eyes moist.

“Madam . . . I am so sorry for your loss.”

L stood, looking about.

“What is that?”

“JARVIS, my--”

“Manservant,” JARVIS finished, appearing as a blue light above Tony’s desk.

“Your ancilla,” L murmured, reaching for the light.

“Ancilla?”

“An artificial intelligence that exists within your environment suit.”

“Quite,” JARVIS affirmed.

“Hopefully not as easily corruptible as ours,” she said sadly.

“. . . What happened to your ancilla, madam?”

“032 Mendicant Bias was driven to rampancy by the Gravemind,” L said. “We’re still . . . tethered, but I’ve been able to sever most ties.” She turned to the Avengers. “You’d better kill me now,” she said. “I can’t know if Mendicant Bias is still functional or not. He may be able to lead the Flood here.”

“Madam,” JARVIS said softly, “I can assure you that we will not allow that to happen.”

Tony shot Pepper a surprised look.

“You can?” she responded.

“I give you my word.”

She smiled, stroking the sphere of light gently.

“Thank you, JARVIS.”

“Madam, it is my pleasure.”


	8. VIII: Unfit

VIII  


“Et non potuit ingredi et non potuit ingredi et non potuit ingredi et non--” _You will not enter._

A deep, animalistic cry tore out of L, and she collapsed, pressing her hands over her ears. Her head snapped back and her hands dropped.  


“032 Mendicant Bias has plotted a course for the Librarian’s location,” a distorted yet tinny voice announced as L’s lips moved in synchronization. Her irises glowed a polluted jade. “032 Mendicant Bias will reunite with the Librarian.” The glow faded and L stood slowly. She reached up and felt the metal ring around her neck.  


“No,” she whispered. “I will not be your Gate.”  


-  


“Miss L?” Steve knocked on the open door of Tony’s guest suite. L looked up from a tome of Shakespeare’s works.  


“Yes, Captain?”  


“May I talk to you for a minute?”  


“Of course, Captain.”  


Steve entered and sat down, running his hands down his jeans nervously.  


“Are you going out?” he asked, pointing to her gown and styled hair.  


“No. Is this not customary attire?” He shook his head slowly. “What is?”  


“Something more like . . . well, this,” he said, pointing to his t-shirt. L cocked her head and nodded. Rings of photons surrounded her and streamed downwards. When they faded, she was wearing a black t-shirt, jeans, and was barefoot. Her hair was swept up into a messy bun, and she smiled.  


“Like this?”  


“Yeah.”  


“Good.” She folded her legs under her and leaned forward. “What’s on your mind, Captain?”  


“Please call me Steve.” She nodded. “I . . . I need to tell someone what I’ve done, and I thought . . . I thought you would understand.” He looked down. “It’ll take a long time. I won’t be keeping you from anything, will I?” L shook her head. “Maybe you could just. . . ?” He touched two fingers to his temple. L eyed him for a moment.  


“For closure and acceptance, it’s more beneficial to speak. But I suspect that you’ve already had a time of acceptance.”  


Steve could almost feel the icy Atlantic swallowing him again.  


“Yes.”  


L was silent for a while.  


“I think I understand why you came to me,” she said softly. “And those thoughts are indeed difficult to say.” She reached out. “Anything you wish to keep secret, lock in a safe. I will not try to open it.” He nodded and she touched his temple gently. His shoulders hunched and he flinched. L took his hand and he relaxed slowly. After a few moments, she leaned back and gazed at him a sad, motherly way.  


“You feel as if you failed,” she murmured. Steve nodded. “Because of Bucky’s death?”  


“Yeah.”  


“The death of a fellow soldier is not the commander’s fault. A soldier knows the risks and has accepted them.”  


“I know, but that doesn’t make it any easier.”  


“No, it doesn’t. In many ways it makes it harder, because we took the same risks . . . but we lived.”  


“Survivor’s guilt?”  


L nodded.  


“I know it, too,” she said.  


“But I killed so many.”  


“You killed killers to save the innocent,” L said earnestly. “And you _did_ save the innocent.” Steve looked up at her. “You gave your life for the City of New York.” She gestured to the window. “And there are the fruits of your sacrifice. Of Bucky’s sacrifice.” He nodded, his face brightening. “You saved innocent lives,” she repeated softly. “That’s something I can never say.”  


“But you did what you had to do . . . right?”  


She stared past him.  


“That’s what I tell myself.” Her eyes shifted to meet his. “Would you take a life you valued if it would save your planet?”  


“Why would I kill you?”  


L smiled sadly.  


“Are all humans as perceptive as you are?” she murmured. “What I tell you, I tell you in confidence. Loki and Thor must not hear of it,” she said sternly. Her face suddenly softened. “Especially Loki . . . _Minn dýrr lítt kind_. . .”  


Steve nodded slowly.  


“You have my word.”  


“I’m going to die,” she said flatly. “My ancilla and I are still tethered, and I cannot sever myself from it wholly. It . . . it is fully rampant now. It contacted me this morning and issued . . . an announcement.”  


“What does that mean?”  


“I forget; you’re a soldier out of time. An ancilla is an artificial consciousness. At birth, every Forerunner is matched with an ancilla to teach it and guard it. My family was wealthy, and the ancillas chosen for myself and my siblings were flashclones of our brains and then ‘matured’.”  


“So . . . it’s basically a future you.”  


“Basically, yes. When Didact and I developed the Array, we thought it best to install my ancilla within the Control Center of the Ark so I could analyze data in real time. My ancilla grew corrupted with access to so much information, and Didact used his ancilla to subdue it. The Flood attacked en force before we were fully prepared, though, and my displaced ancilla was captured and assimilated into the Gravemind. That was the event that forced our hand.”  


“Information in the wrong hands.”  


“Literally everything we had.”  


“But of your Array destroyed everything, how is your ancilla contacting you?”  


“032 Mendicant Bias was privy to teleportation protocols. Looking back, it’s likely he transported the Gravemind out of the affected radii.”  


“Okay.”  


“He evacuated.”  


“Thanks. But I don’t understand why you’d die or why I’d have to kill you.”  


“I know Mendicant Bias has been thoroughly assimilated into the Gravemind. The Flood is coming, and I will not let Didact’s death be in vain.”  


“But why contact you? Why not just invade as they did before?”  


“It has no Combat forms at its disposal, nor Infection forms. Those were destroyed by the Array. The Gravemind means to infect me via my tether to Mendicant Bias, likely use me as a Combat form until I am no longer useful, then I will become a Carrier. Once I have . . . _produced_ Infection forms, I will join the Gravemind,” she said, her voice distorting. Her eyes gave off a sickly orange light. “ _Two corpses in one grave_.”  


The glow faded and she wept.  


Steve took her hands gently.  


“What do you need?”  


-  


“You look exhausted,” Clint said as he and Natasha joined L in Tony’s lounge. She smiled softly.  


“Doesn’t your Director have need of you?”  


“He’s decided to assign us to you.”  


She nodded and shoved a spoonful of milky Lucky Charms into her mouth.  


“You’ve been assigned to try to kill me if I make a wrong move by his standards.” They nodded slowly. “Don’t worry, you can’t; not with Class II weaponry.”  


“Good to know,” Natasha said, eyeing her with concern.  


“Do these charms hold magical properties?” L asked, pointing to the box with her spoon.  


“Energy!” Clint said. Natasha rolled her eyes.  


“No, it’s just colored sugar.”  


“Oh. Pity.”  


L dumped the leftover milk into the sink and walked down the hall to the bathroom.  


Nat pulled out her phone and shot off a text.  


“Who was that to?”  


“Pepper.”  


“Why?”  


“She’s been here for a whole week. Does she look the same to you?”  


“No,” he said slowly. “She looks kinda sick. I wonder if it’s the food.” Natasha’s phone chirped.  


“No, I think the food is exactly what it’s _not _.”__  


“What do you mean?”  


“Stay here.”  


She padded down to the bathroom and listened. Though it was muffled by the toilet flushing, she could hear L gagging. She opened the door just as L was wiping her mouth.  


“Didn’t agree with you?”  


“I saw that it wouldn’t.”  


“So that was on purpose.”  


“Yes.”  


“That’s really stupid.”  


“It’s only stupid if you _want_ to keep functioning properly.”  


“So you realize that eating nothing and never sleeping is going to do damage.”  


L turned to the sink and washed her hands.  


“Good.”


	9. IX: A Monument to All Your Sins

IX

"Sir, a ship has entered our airspace."

"Well, then answer the hail," Fury said.

"There is no hail, sir."

"Hail them."

"We have, sir. The ship is dead silent."

"Scan it."

"There's a. . ."

"A _what_."

"A big . . . _thing_ , but it doesn't register as any sort of life form . . . other than a _plant_."

"Assemble them," Fury said to Agent Hill.

"And the Librarian, sir?"

He sighed.

"I think we'd better."

-

"He has come," L said.

Steve nodded, suited up and shield in hand.

"I managed to find one of Stark's prototypes," he said, pulling a cobalt pistol out of a holster. "It said 'EMP' in the files, but I'm not sure it's what you n-"

"Thank you," she said, taking it from him. "I'll keep it." He stared at her. "You are a good man. Your soul grieves over every death you cause. I will not ask you to add my mark to your tally." She closed her eyes as light engulfed her and when it faded, she was arrayed in thick, matte golden and onyx armor with a helmet similar in style to Loki's. "I was charged with the destruction of the Flood. I will not fail again."

"You almost sound like you want to die."

The weight of her armor seemed to settle on her, and there were signs of her age around her eyes.

"I've outlived my usefulness in every sense of the phrase." She gazed at him sadly. "I only wish to sleep. . . and once sleeping, perchance to dream."

-

Fury backed away from L as she entered the bridge, flanked by the Avengers and Loki.

"Well, you've dealt with this before," he said, gesturing to the holodisplays. "What do we do?"

"I trust Agents Barton and Romanov briefed you after you released me from your custody."

"Yes."

"Then why are you asking me such an idiotic and foolish question?" she asked, visibly annoyed.

"Can't you just use the Ar-"

" _ **Were you not listening?**_ " L thundered. Everyone on the bridge stared at her. "The Array is _not_ an option," she growled. "Besides, this is an advanced Gravemind. It has only one Gate, but it must be opened."

"What?"

She sighed and turned to the Avengers.

"How many times must I explain this to you humans?" She turned back to Fury, shifting her jaw. "There must be Infection forms to assimilate a world. The Gravemind cannot produce them, so there must be a host. Without Infection forms to take a host, there must be a Gate." She pointed to the ship. "A Gravemind cannot pilot a ship. My ancilla, however, _can_." She paused. "Do you understand thus far?"

"Don't treat me like a toddler."

"Then don't act like one."

Tony snickered.

"Shut up, Stark!"

"Hey, don't worry; I've gotten that lecture before, too."

L pointed to the ring in her neck.

"My ancilla is corrupted and has become part of the Gravemind. My ancilla is still linked with me. It means to make me the Gate."

There was silence.

"May I ask a question?" Fury asked.

L smiled tiredly.

"Yes, Director."

"How do we keep it from making you the Gate?"

"I don't know."

"What?"

"Must I repeat myself?"

"Will the ship fire on us?"

"Highly unlikely."

"Will it land?"

"Juggernaut Class ships are unequipped to land."

"Will it crash, then?" Steve pondered.

"Only if the Gravemind and my ancilla are destroyed. It would be safe to destroy the ship once they are confirmed to be eliminated."

"How do we tell? It only shows up as a plant."

"Well, in all likelihood, I'll be dead."

Loki paled.

" _What?_ "

"Perhaps half dead."

Loki stared at her, still in shock.

"If my ancilla is destroyed – which it will be if the Gravemind is – I will sustain injury from that event," she said gently.

"And it will kill you?"

"It could."

"What are the chances of that happening?" Fury asked.

"91.637 per cent."

Thor put a hand on Loki's shoulder.

"Wait," Clint said, "couldn't you just cut yourself off from your ancilla before you destroy it?"

"I can't. Not entirely. It . . . contacted me four days ago."

"And it will do that again?"

"Yes."

"Can we stop it?"

"No."

"Then what do we do with you?" Fury asked.

"The containment unit you placed me in after I first arrived will suffice."

"Yeah, but you walked right through it last time."

"Should that happen again, you'll have no choice but to decapitate me."

Tony snorted.

"With _what?_ You're almost literally Iron Woman."

She pulled a crystal longsword out of her sheath and handed it to Thor.

"Lightning will overload my internal circuitry and subroutines which will make the entire ordeal safer for everyone."

He took it hesitantly and silently as Loki stared at the floor.

L seemed to remember something and looked at Fury.

"Safer . . . I suggest you begin evacuating as many crewmen as you can spare immediately."

"Why, what's going to happen?"

"If all fails and I am made the Gate . . . I want as few hosts as possible."

Fury nodded and gave the order as the Avengers continued to stare at her.

"Right . . . well . . . I'll walk myself to my cell, then."

"How can you joke about this?" Natasha asked, visibly shaken.

"Trust me," L said softly, "there are few things that could make this situation worse, and a hysterically sobbing, frightened Forerunner with an assimilated and fully corrupted ancilla actively trying to rape my mind, infect my body, and render my lover's death as worthless is one of those very few things." She looked at them sadly. "If you think I've a desire to die, you are quite mistaken." Her voice was soft and uneven. "I'm terrified. I don't want to die. But if my death will destroy this Gravemind . . . then yes . . . I would rather die."

"Amma," Loki said, stepping forward, "you don't have to die. Midgard cannot be infected. You can outrun it."

She held out her arms as a clouded tear fell.

"Oh Loki," she murmured, stroking his hair. "I've run from history for millennia . . . But where can I run and hide from myself?" L lifted his chin slowly. "If my baby had lived, I would be proud if he were like you."

A low, mechanical whir came from her throat and she pushed Loki away as her eyes began to glow a burnt orange. She collapsed, wheezing, and started to cough violently. Her muscles rippled once then went still. She crouched and looked up, blood flowing from the corner of her mouth as her exposed iridescent markings pulsed with faint yellow light. She stood slowly, unsteadily, and panted, struggling under the weight of the armor. The glow in her eyes brightened and she snapped unnaturally straight.

" _I am 032 Mendicant Bias_ ," she said with a voice not her own. The voice was guttural, harsh, ancient. " _The Librarian is **mine**_."

A tear fell down her cheek, but her face remained blank. Her eyes darkened for a moment.

" _Two corpses . . . in one grave. . ._ "

Thor stepped forward, raising the sword as he electrified it. A beam of light the same hue as L's glowing eyes shot from the Forerunner ship, engulfing L and knocking Thor backwards. The light forced L onto her hands and knees. A low growl came over the intercoms throughout the Helicarrier.

"Open, Gate!"

L shook her head.

". . . No. . ."

"Open!"

The voice that had used L fused deafeningly with the voice possessing the comm system.

"No!"

L was lifted upwards within the beam until her feet were a full meter above the ground. The ring of the metal under her neck began to glow white, and she screamed, clawing at it.

"Brother, please!" Loki shouted, his face twisted in anguish.

Thor stood, gripped the hilt of the sword, and hurled it at L's chest as lightning caused the crystal blade to burn. It stopped at the edge of the beam, and the crystal shattered, remaining suspended.

L's ring seemed to implode, but then shards of metal shot out from under her flesh. They too floated as her shoulders sank. Her face grew red as her breathing became short and ragged. She clutched her neck as the blood flowed between her fingers, kicking and twisting until a horrible scream tore from her, shattering every glass display on the bridge. The beam was retracted and the shards of crystal and metal fell as L went limp, still held in the air.

"Open . . . _your . . . **Gate!**_ "

L was dropped and sobbed as she stood. Her skin was white, her markings a muted, silvery blue. She closed her eyes and nodded, holding her arms out as if being crucified. A dark, tarnished green consumed her irises as the orange pulsed in her pupils.

A perverted, satisfied groan echoed through the Helicarrier.

L's slightest movements seemed robotic and artificial as she was taken. But suddenly, her mouth twitched into a grin for a heartbeat, and she reached into the holster on her back and straightened her arm, Tony's prototype gripped tightly in her bloody hand. Her face was expressionless as she slowly pressed the muzzle of the gun to her temple.

She stood there, still, as the glowing of her eyes intensified. Without warning, a guttural yet metallic scream filled the bridge and white arcs of light shot around L. Her arms dropped and her hand released the gun, which fell with a dull thud. The arcs of light faded with the scream, and L stepped forward unsteadily. Loki ran forward and eased her to the ground. She stared at Fury sightlessly.

"Fire on the ship," she whispered.

Before he could give any orders, all eight of the Helicarrier's cannons went live, bombarding the already listing Forerunner ship.

"Don't let any of it hit the ground!" Steve shouted.

"Who's firing?" Fury demanded.

Agent Coulson ran onto the bridge.

"Sir, our weapons systems are registering as offline!"

"Stark, get on it."

"'Kay. JARVIS, get on it." They moved closer to Loki and L. "JARVIS." He tapped his earpiece. "JARVIS?"

"Yes, sir?" A hologram of a man with silver hair, massive wings, and armor similar to the Librarian's appeared between L and Loki and the others.

"You have a face?"

"For now, yes, sir."

"Stay on task, Stark," Fury said. "Who's got control of our weapons systems?"

"Why, I do, Director."

" _You?_ "

"Yes, sir. Human response time would have been woefully inadequate to the task."

"Okay," Tony said, "but what is all of _this_? The face? The armor?"

"An attempt at humanity."

"Come again?"

JARVIS turned and knelt opposite Loki.

"L?"

She stared at him, a faint green lighting her eyes.

". . . Didact?"

He smiled and touched her forehead softly.

"Are you coming with me now?"

"To Eden?"

"Yes."

Tears pooled in her eyes.

"I want . . . I'm afraid."

"Afraid of what, _mea ignis_?"

She let out a choked sob and Loki took her hand as she shrank against the demigod.

" _I'm afraid of the darkness_."

Natasha looked away and Clint wrapped his arms around her.

"There is no darkness here," JARVIS said, looking to Loki, who nodded.

"Amma . . . you can go."

L's breath was shallow, and when she shook her head, she coughed up more blood.

"I don't . . . want . . . you to be alone. . ."

"I don't want you to go," Loki said through his tears. "But you can. I won't . . . I won't be alone."

She reached up and touched his cheek gently as JARVIS's hologram faded.

Loki and Thor wept as her hand fell away.


	10. X: Epilogue

X

"Brother, please, you must eat." Thor nudged Loki's plate, but he shook his head. "Will you not even speak?" Loki just stared ahead at nothing. 

"Sometimes eating really is the best thing for grief," Bruce said. "There's a science behind comfort food, actually." 

Thor brightened, glancing at his brother. 

"Do you have hakikarl?" 

"Um . . . no . . . sorry." 

Natasha brought Loki a glass of water. 

"I am sorry for your loss," she said softly. He nodded and took a sip. 

"Pray send our thanks to Director Fury," Thor said, turning to Coulson. "He held a beautiful funeral for Amma, though I am glad it was private." 

"She deserved a state funeral with every honor," he said. Steve nodded in agreement. 

"She would not have wanted that," Loki said finally. He looked at Coulson. "You did right." 

"Will you be visiting Dr. Foster before you return?" Bruce asked. 

Thor's face turned red as he nodded. 

"Briefly." 

Tony held up a hand. 

"Hear that?" 

"Hear what?" Pepper asked. 

"That sound." 

"Which _one_?" 

"That's my generator." 

"So? This really isn't the ti-" 

"My green arc generator. The fourth prototype." 

Pepper stared at him. 

"I thought you said it would only come on during a power outage." 

"I did." 

"And that it could keep New York running for a year." 

"It can." 

"New York City?" Steve asked. 

"New York _State_ ," Pepper corrected. 

"What triggered it?" Coulson asked. 

"Sir," JARVIS said. 

"Kill the GA-04," Tony said. 

"No, sir." 

Tony stopped. 

"JARVIS, shut off the generator." 

"No, sir." 

Pepper nudged him. 

" _Please_." 

"No, _thank you_ , sir." 

"JARV-" 

"The GA-04 has been reappropriated, sir." 

"For _what_ by _who_?" 

"Reallocation, sir." 

"Do enlighten us." There was a hesitation. "JARVIS. . ." 

"I cannot-" He stopped. "I have been corrected. Please stand by." 

Thor looked around. 

"By what?" 

"Just stand," Clint said. 

A quiet sigh was followed by a series of holographic beams streaming downwards. They faded, and they were face to face with L. 

"She left a recording?" Loki murmured. 

"No," L said, smiling softly. 

"JARVIS, what is this?" Tony asked, staring at L. 

"This is the Librarian, sir." 

"No no, she _died_. We – we just came from her funeral." 

"Yes, I did," L said. "Quite an ordeal, that." She looked at Loki. "I've never died before," she added softly. 

"Well . . . how – what is this?" 

"An ancilla." 

"She cloned herself," Steve said quietly. 

"When did you do that?" 

"When I first met JARVIS. I've made it a habit to install a copy of myself everywhere. . . Just in case." 

"Um . . . wow . . . how many copies of you are there?" 

She laughed, her voice reverberating slightly. 

"I know, more than one of me is terrifying. I've always built in fail safes that permanently wipe a copy remotely when I no longer have use of them." She stopped. " _Remotely_. I've never used that word before." She shrugged. "Whatever." 

"So you're not . . ." Loki's voice broke. ". . . _real_ . . . ?" 

L's smile faded a bit. 

"No," she said finally. "The heart that nursed you as a babe, comforted you as a child, and taught you as a young man is gone." She reached out and caressed his cheek. Loki's eyes widened as he put his hand over hers. "But the mind and soul that has always loved you remains, _minn dýrr lítt kind_." 

Loki looked torn. 

"Can you shift?" 

She grinned and the hologram shimmered as her wings unfurled, blowing some of Tony's notes and sketches off his desk. 

Tony walked around her, studying the hologram. Finally, he reached up and touched her wing. 

_It feels like feathers!_ he mouthed. 

Pepper rolled her eyes. 

"Stop grinning like an idiot," she said, wiping away tears. 

"No, this is really cool; how are you doing that?" 

"Ask JARVIS to explain it to you," L said, still staring at Loki. 

"Why can't you?" 

"Several reasons, Anthony: my memories and knowledge are still allocating themselves within my matrices; secondly, numbers are something JARVIS and I understand, and while I'm clearly integrating millenias' worth of vocabulary and idioms, I'm still most fluent in Latin – as far as languages originating from this world, anyway. I would hate to trap Natasha here as an interpreter for what would likely be a hella long discussion." She immediately slapped a hand over her mouth. 

Loki smiled and threw his arms around her. L held him close, brushing his hair back from his temples. Her fingertips lingered and she tipped his face towards hers. 

"You once accused Odin of locking you away as a stolen relic," she said softly. He nodded, looking down. "Stay on Midgard." 

"And do what?" 

Her form shimmered and he found himself staring at a mirror image. 

"Learn," she said, shifting back. "Learn from another relic how to govern, how to rule, how to judge." 

"Why?" 

She glanced at Thor as she straightened. 

"There is a world I left behind. A world that may yet come to hold the living." 

Her gaze flickered back to Loki. 

"As my son, the birthright is yours." 

"But . . . You could rule." 

"No, I surely could not. I am the last relic of a forgotten age. And that is just," she said, silencing Loki's reply. "We deserve to be forgotten." She straightened and pulled away, regarding the others. "And now, I am at peace."


End file.
